System and method for transmitting messages received from a paging network on a paging device to electronic devices

1. A system for transmitting a message received from a paging network to a cellular or other wireless device through radio communication, the system comprising:

a wireless device having display circuitry;

a wireless device peripheral having paging circuitry adapted to:

establish a radio connection with the wireless device;

receive a message from the paging network; and

transmit, in response to receiving the message at the wireless device peripheral from the paging network, the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection; and

wherein, in response to receiving the message at the wireless device from the wireless device peripheral, the wireless device is adapted to:

send an acknowledgement to the paging network that the message has been received; and

transfer the message to the display circuitry for displaying the message.

2. The system according to claim 1 , the radio connection between the wireless device peripheral and the wireless device complying with the Bluetooth standard for wireless communications.

3. The system according to claim 1 , the wireless device peripheral selected from the group consisting of a case, a cover, a holder, and a battery extender.

4. The system according to claim 1 , the wireless device peripheral further comprising at least one alert mechanism adapted to generate an alert selected from the group consisting of a visual alert, an audible alert, and a tactile alert.

5. The system according to claim 4 , the at least one alert mechanism further adapted to:

generate the alert in response to receiving the message at the wireless device peripheral; and

disable the alert in response to transmitting the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection.

6. The system according to claim 4 , the at least one alert mechanism further adapted to:

generate the alert in response to detecting that a radio connection does not exist between the wireless device peripheral and the wireless device; and

disable the alert in response to detecting that a radio connection exists between the wireless device peripheral and the wireless device.

7. The system according to claim 1 , the wireless device peripheral further adapted to compare the message to at least one previously received message.

8. The system according to claim 1 , the wireless device including a user interface and the wireless device further adapted to:

receive a notification through the user interface that the message has been read; and

send, in response to receiving the notification, an acknowledgement to the paging network that the message has been read.

9. The system according to claim 1 , the wireless device peripheral further adapted to:

associate a message status with the message; and

transmit the message status to the wireless device through the established radio connection.

10. The system according to claim 9 , the message status indicating that the message was received with one or more errors.

11. The system according to claim 10 , the wireless device further adapted to send, in response to receiving the message status from the wireless device peripheral, a notification to the paging network that the message was received with one or more errors.

12. The system according to claim 1 , the wireless device further adapted to:

detect whether the wireless device is able to receive messages from the wireless device peripheral through the established radio connection;

send, in response to detecting that the wireless device is unable to receive messages from the wireless device peripheral through the established radio connection, a notification to the paging network that the wireless device is unable to receive messages from wireless device peripheral through the established radio connection; and

receive, in response to sending the notification to the paging network, one or more messages at the wireless device through a connection between the wireless device and the paging network.

13. A method of transmitting a message from a paging network to a cellular or other wireless device through radio communication, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a radio connection between a paging device and a wireless device;

receiving at the paging device a message through a paging network;

transmitting the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection; and

in response to receiving the message at the wireless device, sending an acknowledgement to the paging network that the message has been received by the wireless device; and

displaying the message at the wireless device.

14. The method according to claim 13 , the radio connection between the paging device and the wireless device complying with the Bluetooth standard for wireless communications.

15. The method according to claim 13 , the method further comprising generating at least one alert at the paging device, the at least one alert selected from the group consisting of a visual alert, an audible alert, and a tactile alert.

16. The method according to claim 15 , the at least one alert generated in response to receiving the message at the paging device and the method further comprising disabling the at least one alert in response to transmitting the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection.

17. The method according to claim 15 , the at least one alert generated in response to detecting that a radio connection does not exist between the paging device and the wireless device and the method further comprising disabling the alert in response to detecting that a radio connection exists between the paging device and the wireless device.

18. The method according to claim 13 , the wireless device having a user interface and the method further comprising: receiving an acknowledgement through the user interface that the message has been read; and sending, in response to receiving the acknowledgement, a notification to the paging network that the message has been read.

19. The method according to claim 13 , the method further comprising:

associating a message status with the message; and

transmitting the message status to the wireless device through the established radio connection.

20. The method according to claim 19 , the message status indicating that the message was received one or more errors.

21. The method according to claim 20 , the method further comprising receiving the message status at the wireless device through the established radio connection and wherein the sending an acknowledgement step comprises sending a notification to the paging network that the message was received with one or more errors.

22. The method according to claim 13 , method further comprising

detecting at the wireless device whether the wireless device is able to receive messages from the paging network through the established radio connection between the paging device and the wireless device;

sending, in response to detecting that the wireless device is unable to receive messages from the paging network through the established radio connection, a notification to the paging network that the wireless device is unable to receive messages from the paging network through the established radio connection; and

receiving one or more messages at the wireless device through a connection between the wireless device and the paging network.

23. The method according to claim 22 , the detecting step comprising detecting whether a radio connection exists between the wireless device and the paging device.

24. The method according to claim 22 , the detecting step comprising receiving a notification at the wireless device through the established radio connection indicating whether the paging device is able to receive messages from the paging network.

25. The method according to claim 22 , the connection between the wireless device and the paging network selected from the group consisting of a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and a hardwired network.

26. The method according to claim 22 , the method further comprising sending, in response to detecting that the wireless device is able to receive messages from the paging network through the established radio connection between the paging device and the wireless device, a notification to the paging network that the wireless device is able to receive messages from the paging network through the established radio connection.

27. An apparatus for transmitting a message received from a paging network to a cellular or other wireless device through radio communication, the apparatus comprising:

an RF transceiver adapted to establish a radio connection with a wireless device; paging circuitry coupled to the RF transceiver and adapted to receive a message from a paging network, the paging circuitry comprising a processor adapted to transfer the received message from the paging circuitry to the RF transceiver after the radio connection is established; and

wherein the RF transceiver is further adapted to transmit the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection for display on the wireless device.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27 , the RF transceiver further adapted to comply with the Bluetooth standard for wireless communications.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27 , the apparatus further comprising at least one alert mechanism coupled to the paging circuitry, the at least one alert mechanism adapted to generate an alert selected from the group consisting of a visual alert, an audible alert, and a tactile alert.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29 , the at least one alert mechanism further adapted to:

generate the alert in response to receiving the message; and

disable the alert in response to transmitting the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection.

31. The apparatus according to claim 29 , the at least one alert mechanism further adapted to:

generate the alert in response to detecting that a radio connection does not exist with the wireless device; and

disable the alert in response to detecting that a radio connection exists with the wireless device.

32. The apparatus according to claim 27 , the paging circuitry further adapted to associate a message status with the message and the RF transceiver further adapted to transmit the message status to the wireless device through the established radio connection.

33. The apparatus according to claim 27 , the paging circuitry further adapted to compare the message to at least one previously received message.

34. A method of transmitting a message from a paging network to a cellular or other wireless device through radio communication, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a radio connection between a paging device and a wireless device;

receiving at the paging device a message from the paging network; and

transmitting the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection between the paging device and the wireless device for display on the wireless device.

35. The method according to claim 34 , the radio connection between the paging device and the wireless device complying with the Bluetooth standard for wireless communications.

36. The method according to claim 34 , the method further comprising generating at least one alert at the paging device, the at least one alert selected from the group consisting of a visual alert, an audible alert, and a tactile alert.

37. The method according to claim 36 , the at least one alert generated in response to receiving the message and the method further comprising disabling the at least one alert in response to transmitting the message to the wireless device through the established radio connection.

38. The method according to claim 36 , the at least one alert generated in response to detecting that a radio connection does not exist between the paging device and the wireless device and the method further comprising disabling the alert in response to detecting that a radio connection exists between the paging device and the wireless device.

39. The method according to claim 34 , the method further comprising comparing the message to at least one previously received message.